Last year, I discovered the works of Eve Babitz and immediately fell in love. Her life, although told through a voice of existentialism and observationalism, was colourful and vibrant and rich with adventure; her adventures mainly surrounding being in the right place at the right time. Her stories were all driven by fascinating people and fascinating conversations held in bars and hotel rooms and tango classes. Scrolling through her Wikipedia page, I discovered that she had relationships and friendships with the greatest names of our time. I wanted, and still want, to foster a life like her’s, and I realised, I had, in some kind of increment, done so already.
In 2021, Moyé birthed our podcast, Okay, It’s Recording; I was so excited about the name that the voice-note I sent to Noku expressing my enthusiasm was used as promotional material. And in that period, from 2021 to 2024, I met incredibly talented people and experienced storylines similar to those of Babitz; I met some tangential musicians (both interesting and banal), was broken up with before a play I was meant to review, was invited to birthday parties and artist collectives, and had skype calls with award-winning authors (okay, fine, that happened only once).
Some of my other favourite plotlines include:
Almost Alive lugging six packs of beer up the stairs to my apartment at three o’clock in the afternoon before a podcast and then ending the recording by trying one of the lead singer’s favourite meals: Apple slices doused in vinegar.
Conducting an interview with Hiding Bigfoot after their gig in Jo’burg, shivering in the cold while Billie, the award-winning director that she is, tried to get the camera angle just right by lying on the concrete of the parking lot.
Okay, It’s Recording: although you may be gone, you will never be forgotten. I will always think of you when I say the Moyé motto, “delusion gets you places”. You remain the main stressor of Raea’s editing career, and the main reason I will forever hate the sound of my own voice. You are there when I check my phone twice, three times, five times whenever I record anything. And you linger with all the off-the-record secrets and behind-the-scenes drama I now know and carry with me through the Cape Town music scene.
Thank you for everything you have done for our team, but it is time for us to shed this old skin as we squirm into a new one, and discover everything we are capable of.
We will forever love you.
With love
The moyé team
(In specifics, Ashley).
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